An apparatus for analyzing a specific component in a sample has conventionally been used widely. An analyzing apparatus in which a sample (a specimen) such as blood or urine is reacted with a specific reagent, the reaction is detected by an optical manner or an electrochemical manner, and the detection result is output, is known in the field of clinical examination, for example. Such an analyzing apparatus can fall into two broad categories: a dedicated apparatus whose analyte is specified; and a general-purpose apparatus whose analyte (analysis item) can be freely set by a user. In the case of the dedicated apparatus, a cartridge-type container that has been previously filled with a necessary reagent is provided, an analysis condition that has been previously set has been input into the apparatus, and once the cartridge-type container and the sample are set into the dedicated apparatus, the apparatus can automatically perform a series of steps of sampling the sample, reacting the sample with the reagent, detecting the reaction, and outputting the detection result. In contrast, in the case of the general-purpose apparatus, a user is required to set a necessary reagent into the apparatus and to input an analysis condition into the same. That is, while the dedicated apparatus has an advantage in that an analysis can be performed automatically, it also has a problem in that an analysis item is limited and cannot be expanded. In contrast, although an analysis by the general-purpose apparatus is performed manually and has a problem in analysis efficiently, the general-purpose apparatus has an advantage in that an analysis item can be set freely. Therefore, conventionally, it has been necessary to have both the dedicated apparatus and the general-purpose apparatus in order to realize high analysis efficiency and an expansion of an analysis item. However, in order to have both the dedicated apparatus and the general-purpose apparatus, costs are involved, and a large analyzing space is required.
In order to solve this problem, an analyzing apparatus having functions of both the dedicated apparatus and the general-purpose analyzing apparatus has been proposed (see JP 2001-349896 A). In this analyzing apparatus, a cartridge-type dedicated container that has been previously filled with a specific reagent and a general-purpose cartridge-type container that is empty and in which a user can freely fill a reagent can be used distinctively. The cartridge-type dedicated container is sealed, and on the seal, a bar code including an analysis condition is printed. In contrast, the general-purpose cartridge-type container is not sealed. When a cartridge-type container is set in an analyzing apparatus, the analyzing apparatus determines whether the container is a cartridge-type dedicated container or a general-purpose cartridge-type container by determining whether or not the container is sealed. When it is determined that the container is the cartridge-type dedicated container, an analysis is automatically performed under the condition that is previously set in the analyzing apparatus. On the other hand, when it is determined that the container is a general-purpose cartridge-type container, a user selects an analysis item, an analysis condition for the analysis item selected is read from a storage apparatus, and an analysis is performed under the analysis condition read.